Hi guys,
I’m very humbled that it’s of interest, so, following on from enquiries inside and outside of this forum, I thought I’d give a run down of my set.
My set comes from a few makers, made up from Benedict Koehler ( D chanter), Dave Williams (drones), Eamonn Curran (regs) with additional chanters from my good friend Andy May and Sam Lawrence. I suppose the set is a personalised / custom set up to some degree, as the G# and F nat key work on the chanter was made to my specs by an oboe key maker I know (Benedict was totally cool with that), (the outside dimensions of chanter itself based on a rare old chunky Rowsome that passed through my hands), and the regulator set up is a reduced one, but allows me to play the regs how I like.
The tenor reg is as normal, but with only the lowest and 2nd lowest notes F# and G. The baritone reg is as normal but only has D, G and A (longer D key), and the bass reg isn’t actually a bass reg at all… it’s a 2nd baritone reg that plays E and B. So D, E, F#, G, A and B all easily accessible. The idea is that one can play single note ‘drones’ or fiddlesque ‘double stopping’ held root notes, for most keys that you’d play on pipes; D major / minor, E major / minor, G major / minor, A major / minor and B minor. Ran out of space for C, but E is a nice replacement for C reg moments and for me perhaps more ‘useful’ as allows adventures into A and Eminor.
All the reg notes are within the range of the chanter’s 1st octave, as I really like the rich harmonic interplay when the notes are closer. I do love the bass reg sound too of course, who doesnt (??!), but you can’t have everything! I’ve still got that pumpy Robbie Hannan D/F#, D/G chord vibe, but other than that, the idea is to do single notes. I love to listen to pipers who play complex reg chords and impressive full chordal / vampy styles, but for my own playing, I prefer to put all my energy into the chanter playing, backing that up on rare occasions, with subtle single note stuff - a bit like how a fiddler can do double stopping, or a concertina can hold a lower note drone for a few bars / phrases (or a whole tune if they want) to emphasise the tune playing on top.
Will have some videos / photos at some point on my site, (new album coming soon) but currently in process of replacing all the horrid fragile imitation ivory ferrules with mountain mahogany, which will hopefully give a nice look to the set, as the chanter itself is made from this really special ‘magic’ tone wood.
Less is more - scaling back the reg set up to allow easier access and a subtler reg approach. Not everyones cup of tea, but works for me.
Calum
Can you share few photos of your chanter keys arrangement and say few words which bonuses gives you when you play. There are few makers out there who tried some new keywork ideas, but most stick with tradition. Who made the keys on your chanter if it is not the secret. Thanks again 